Opinion

As a summer of horrors unfolds in Gaza, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI co-chair, Hina Jilani, IBAHRI co-chair and Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, IBAHRI director) asks the international community: if not now, when will it be time to act? Death, s

Anthony Fay considers how Big Tech companies like Meta could collide with Irish and EU law as they try to tackle sector-wide challenges. The first half of 2025 has been turbulent for the tech sector — marked by fines from the Irish Data Protection Commission, staffing recalibrations after pand

Eoin Jackson analyses the ICJ's landmark climate change opinion. On Wednesday this week, the International court of Justice (ICJ) released its landmark Advisory Opinion on states' obligations in respect of climate change. An Advisory Opinion is a non-binding opinion provided by the ICJ which clarifi

Matheson partner Mark O'Sullivan and solicitor Cormac Phelan examine an important Irish court ruling on the tax residence of a US company. The Court of Appeal recently affirmed a previous decision of the High Court, ruling that a disregarded US LLC was not a resident of the US for the purposes of th

Family lawyer Keith Walsh SC responds to a call in The Irish Times for greater recognition of Charles Haughey's legislative achievements, in particular the Succession Act 1965. While the debate on the legacy of Charles J. Haughey may occupy summer schools and academics from here until eternity, the

Kane Tuohy partner Triona Cody considers what HR professionals need to know about fixed-term contracts. Managing risk and avoiding legal claims is an important part of the role of HR professionals in the workplace.

Jasmine Faudone examines the detail of this month's breakthrough in post-Brexit talks surrounding Gibraltar. In the Brexit referendum held on 23 June 2016, Gibraltar recorded the strongest support for remaining in the EU, with 95.9 per cent of voters choosing to stay. Despite this objection, Gibralt

Dr Ian Marder offers thoughts on the Probation Service's newly-published restorative justice action plan. In May, the Probation Service published its Restorative Justice Action Plan for 2025-27. Subtitled Restoring Relationships: Repairing Harm and Empowering Voices through Restorative Justice, the

William Fry lawyers John O'Connor, Rachel Hayes and Conor Forde look at new EDPB guidelines on the use of blockchain and their impact on the Web3 industry. On 14 April 2025, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) opened its public consultation on its guidelines for the processing of personal data

Hannah Unger, Demi Mullen and Carrie McMeel reflect on the first nine months of Dog Law Ireland. In August 2024, we founded Dog Law Ireland. It came together at a pivotal point in Ireland’s dog-control landscape — shortly after the announcement of Ireland’s first breed ban. This mo

Northern Ireland lawyer Aine Tyrrell considers the circumstances in which a public inquiry is justified. Since the start of this century, the public in Northern Ireland have become all too familiar with the role that a public inquiry can play in investigating a particular incident or set of events.

Scottish mediator John Sturrock KC shares wise words on Donald Trump's assault on law firms. In 1996, I attended Harvard’s Program on Negotiation (PON) to learn, for the first time, about interest-based negotiation. I was privileged to study under the legendary Professor Roger Fisher, co-autho

On April 9, 2025, the President of the High Court in Ireland, Mr Justice David Barniville, introduced two new Practice Directions for Clinical Negligence cases, designed to promote structured case management and encourage a timely resolution of claims, write Kevin Hegarty and Lucy McLernon. Effectiv

McCann FitzGerald partners Alan Heuston and James Quirke urge lawyers to be pro-active in response to Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs. The Trump administration’s latest announcement of the imposition of US tariffs on all EU imports is one of the most serious issues faced by the Irish econo

Lewis Silkin NI partner Rory Campbell considers the latest situation around AI regulation in Northern Ireland. Last week the European Commission proposed that Northern Ireland should have to comply with EU laws regulating AI systems.